Networks comprise network nodes connected to each other via links. In optical networks, signals are transported through optical fibers on one or more carriers at the same or different frequencies. The optical fibers form links between nodes of the optical network. A traffic channel can comprise one or more carriers transporting data from a source node of the optical network to a destination node of the optical network. Within the traffic channel, an optical signal is transported along a signal path from the source node to the destination node. A signal path can comprise a series of optical links. Networks are designed to serve pre-defined throughputs based on service level agreements SLAs. These service level agreements are ensured by traffic protection and restoration mechanisms in the network. A network can be planned based on designer knowledge and static engineering rules wherein margins are allocated for potential failure mechanisms. In conventional networks, in case of a failure, services are reactively switched over to either a dedicated protection path or one of shared restoration paths.
The conventional traffic restoration mechanism used in a network is prone to deficiencies. The conventional traffic restoration mechanism does not provide a sufficient real-time view on the current situation and does not provide proactive actions on traffic and link states. Due to the reactive restoration approach taken by conventional networks, service disruptions may occur. A further disadvantage of conventional traffic restoration mechanisms used in networks is that a progressive worsening condition of a working signal path in the network remains unaccounted for. In general, the reactive traffic restoration approach used in conventional networks leads to a pessimistic system or network design resulting in a worst-case operation to meet the service level agreements SLAs. Moreover, the conventional reactive traffic restoration approach provides very limited global optimization possibilities. Accordingly, there is a need to provide a method and system having a traffic restoration mechanism overcoming the above-mentioned disadvantages, in particular to provide a method and system having an efficient traffic restoration mechanism taking into account progressive worsening conditions of working signal and paths within the network.